May 24, 2017

I've been making seasonal playlists for as long as I can remember, and summer is always a special one because it's the time of year when some of the best memories are made. Road trips! Barbecues! One night stands with Tinder hotties! And memories should always come with a great soundtrack.

As for this summer, I'm holding out for sizzling British singer Dua Lipa to dominate my earbuds (she appears three times in this collection). As for Katy Perry, "Bon Appetit" desperately screams "Let me be your summer song!" but she should've just stuck to "Swish Swish" as her second official single off the upcoming Witness. As for this year's "Can't Stop The Feeling!" we don't have one yet. Sadly, there's no big summer jam in the forecast.

But as soon as one pops up (and it's worthy enough to be placed here), I'll update this playlist as needed.

May 22, 2017

Your headlines have lured us into your web of trivial content for some time now, and frankly, some of this shit is ridiculous, which is why I was inspired to come up with an equally ridiculous list of my own.

Really? I was more like, Oh My Yaaaaawn.

The only fucked-up thing I experienced in the 80s was discovering my grandmother's dentures sitting in a plastic cup when I slept at her house as a kid.

Hmmm...and by listing 16 different characteristics of a certain nationality, you've ironically demonstrated that Scots are a diverse bunch capable of many things.

One question that's totally possible to answer: Is one of these questions an actual, original thought?

You say "hilarious." I say, "Don't have kids."

Brilliant work there, Sherlock.

This headline is a grammatical mess. If read correctly, it backfires on itself. Fine, I WON'T watch these chick flicks tonight! Also, this might as well read: "If You Own These Movies, You're Beyond Basic."

It's true. The staff member who wrote this is a pos.

...and here's the truth: You're an idiot.

I'm sorry. I didn't realize you guys were real estate AND travel agents (but thanks for the Monaco tip).

May 16, 2017

The trailer for Battle of the Sexes seems like your standard piece of based-on-true-events awards bait.

Yep, it's got newly minted Academy Award winner Emma Stone and Academy Award nominee Steve Carrell, and yes, it tells a fascinating tale about the politics of professional tennis in the 70s while doubling as a Billie Jean King semi-biopic.

But one thing in this trailer should make us all take pause and go "ooh." ELISABETH MUTHAF**KIN' SHUE. As in, "Hi, I'm Chris don't-f**k-with-the-babysitter Parker" Elisabeth Shue.

Hey lady, where've you been? (Besides slumming it on those last few seasons of CSI.)

Don't blink at the 1:29 mark or you'll miss her. That said, I hope this isn't indicative of her role in the film. But either way, it's Elisabeth Muthaf**kin Shue.

May 11, 2017

Austin Mahone, the just-turned-21-year-old pop heartthrob who (some say) rode on the coattails of Justin Bieber, has become the latest singer to find himself ensnared in the reductive stylings of a Pitbull collaboration.

The proof is in "Lady," a milquetoast club-banger that heavily samples Modjo's 2000 international hit dance single of the same name (enjoy the original here).

The video accompanying this forgettable piece does nothing to improve things. The "narrative" (from Gil Green) involves Austin and his crew pulling up to a convenience store to rendezvous with Mr. Worldwide for a secret party. Once inside, the guys access a secret passageway -- through a soda fridge -- that leads them into a pulsating nightclub full of only female extras who are simply there to sway their hips and act as lustful objects for the young Mr. Mahone and his monochromatic entourage.

And if you listen closely at the top of the song (at the :54 mark below), something even more problematic appears: a near-subliminal message from Pitbull who utters the words (twice), "This is for the beautiful girls around the world." So, ladies who may not fit the standards of hotness on display here, please step aside. This jam ain't for you.

Insert a thousand disgusted eye roll emojis here.

Ultimately, it's an uninventive portrait of what I like to call a D.I.T. (Douchebag-in-Training).

And, I regret to say, it will probably end up on my upcoming summer playlist. Listen and see for yourself:

And did anyone feel for Anderson Cooper while he had to sit there and listen to KellyAnne Conway ramble on yesterday? His eye roll spoke volumes:

Then there's Ivanka Trump, former model and current model of white privilege, who had the gall to write a book about working women...while quoting African-American figures commenting on slavery. I'm like...

Last but not least, there's Sally Yates, a Wonder Woman in her own right, a figure I see inevitably being played by Sarah Paulson in a future Ryan Murphy production. When she shut down that shit during those hearings, I was like:

May 05, 2017

I had the enormous pleasure of seeing Dear Evan Hansen back in December, and to this day, I still think about the stellar music and performances behind one of the best and emotional times I've had at the theater. And now, 9 Tony nominations later...

...here's just one of the many reasons why it deserves all the accolades: The show recently put together a mashup of fans performing the gorgeous "Waving Through A Window" to demonstrate how the show has resonated with today's audiences, along with a generation that has -- dare I say -- found its own Rent.

Alia Shawkat (from one of my new obsessions, TBS's Search Party) makes an appearance in the 80s-tinged, lo-fi music video for what has become one of my favorite songs of 2017, "Don't Take The Money" by Bleachers.

The offbeat direction is courtesy of Lena Dunham, girlfriend of frontman Jack Antonoff. In the vid, a bizarre wedding unfolds in a New Jersey backyard that has been decorated with plethora of items probably purchased at a 99-cent store. And it works, reflecting the song's undeniable charm.

Earlier this spring my pop culture sixth sense told me that Dunham would be connected to the song somehow. I actually thought I'd hear the song pop up in the final season of Girls, but this'll do.

Who is The First Echo?

Hiko Mitsuzuka is a self-proclaimed pop culture connoisseur who resides in L.A. and obsesses over pop songs months before everyone else does.
Hiko has worked in TV and commercial production ever since he left his native New York in the early 00s. He has worked at the world-renowned Anonymous Content and freelanced as a treatment writer for award-winning directors, a contributing writer for Instinct, and the Executive Editor of Hotter in Hollywood. Hiko can currently be seen in the roles of Manager of Creative Planning at Stun Creative (PromaxBDA's Agency of the Year, 2013, 2014, 2017), film critic for ScreenPicks, entertainment and travel journalist for Bello Mag, and contributor for The Huffington Post.
His hobbies include quoting sitcom dialogue and stalking people on Instagram. His vices include chocolate chip cookies and movie theater popcorn.
Tweet him @TheFirstEcho.